Alright here goes:

I’m over the “relaxing-shaming.”

I might have made this term up, oops — but I wanted to discuss something that has been sitting in my mind for a while. The hustle-and-bustle mentality is too real. We applaud those who wake up an hour early/stay up an hour later to “work on themselves/their biz/their hustle.” While I commend those for being on their A-game 24/7 a day, this puts us in a predicament.

We talk so much about self-care, yet we end up subtly shaming those for binge watching a show on Netflix when they could be allocating their free time for themselves/their work. It seems like we’re in a whole “if you want it, you’ll make time for it” mentality and I wholeheartedly get that.

It IS true — if you want it, you’ll make time for it, but what if today, I don’t want to make time for it? What if today, I want to binge watch a show and not even look at my to-do list? What if today, I want to take a breather, not look at my phone, AND not feel like I need to feel guilty about it?

Taking a break doesn’t mean you should just throw your roadmap away. It also doesn’t mean you’re further away from conquering your goals.

I encourage us to refrain from thinking that taking a break is a hindrance to success… because to me, it’s just as an important of a tool towards optimizing your potential for success.

Seeing the hustle on social media may even leave people guilty for staying in on a Friday night enjoying popcorn and a show/podcast/etc. We shouldn’t have to feel guilty for wanting or craving downtime. Downtime is there for a reason.

But since when did no-rest equate success?

I’ve seen one too many posts on Instagram/social media boasting about the 24/7 hustle or the all-nighters they pulled. In addition to this comes shaming those who choose to mindlessly scroll on social media rather than work.

I’m all for limiting the mindless scrolls, don’t get me wrong, but sometimes, we just gotta scroll because THAT’S WHAT THE FEEDS ARE FOR.

And to be honest, I really don’t want to see a post mid-scroll shaming me for chilling on the couch living what-I-thought-was-my best life… and then reading what is perceived by society to be “the best life.” Everyone’s version of “their best lives” vary from one another. Let’s quit planting seeds in people’s heads that this go-go-go mindset is the way to live an optimal life.

We all see it and applaud it, but I am challenging those who post these type of posts: do it without the intent of shaming others for relaxing.

Self-care is also more than bubble baths and detoxifying masks. Self-care can be as simple as saying no and telling yourself it’s okay to want this break. Or it can be as extravagant as a spa weekend. Take your pick, it’s YOUR idea of self-care. Just like how we don’t want to compare each other’s self-care routines, we shouldn’t compare everyone’s work ethics and judge them just because it does not reflect yours.

To echo that, don’t let society fool you into thinking hustling 24/7 is healthy. Those 24 hours in a day aren’t meant to be spent WORKING every single minute. Let’s quit applauding the non-stop hustle and start celebrating taking breaks when you need to and own that downtime!

Who’s with me?

As always, thank you so much for reading! If you liked this post, it would mean so much to me if you share/pin it 🙂 Thank you!